GREEN BAY - A special prosecutor will review allegations that Mayor Jim Schmitt and members of the Green Bay City Council violated the law during an ongoing fight over the finances of the Hotel Northland.

Brown County District Attorney David Lasee is in the process of referring the complaints to a prosecutor in another county in the state, a spokeswoman for Lasee said Tuesday.

One of the complaints, filed by five aldermen this fall, asked Lasee to investigate whether Schmitt and members of his staff improperly handled money to renovate the hotel.

The aldermen — Guy Zima, Tom De Wane, Mark Steuer, Andy Nicholson and Chris Wery — claim Schmitt committed perjury and fraud, intended to deceive the City Council and violated the public trust. Schmitt has denied the allegations.

Dorff contends the aldermen's request to investigate Schmitt was the result of a walking quorum, a situation in which members of a governmental body illegally talk or meet privately in small groups to reach a broader consensus.

Lasee is asking a special prosecutor to review the claims because he has a conflict of interest, according to Michele Andresen, office manager of the Brown County District Attorney's Office.

The conflict of interest exists because Lasee has to deal with the mayor's office at times, and some of the aldermen who brought allegations also serve on the Brown County Board, which has oversight over funding the DA's office, Andresen said.

She said she could not identify the special prosecutor on Tuesday because that person had not yet been sent the necessary paperwork.

Dorff said she supports having an independent review of the complaints. Schmitt said he did too and that his office would fully cooperate with any investigations, although he asserted that neither he nor his staff did anything wrong.

“This is just more politicking by evil people and a waste of taxpayer money,” Schmitt said.